Held at the Bosch Budapest Innovation Campus, this year’s event focused on social mobility, the labor market integration of people with reduced work capacity, ethical use of AI, pay transparency, responsible corporate governance and workplace diversity.

One of the highlights of the festival was the presentation of the Catalyst Award – HBLF Business Award for Social Mobility. The award recognizes corporate programs and individual professionals who actively work to ensure that labor market success is determined not by social background, but by talent, diligence and performance.

The Catalyst Award aims to highlight corporate and individual initiatives that make a tangible contribution to social mobility, equal opportunity and fairer labor market participation.

The jury included Tamás Botka, CEO and publisher of the Budapest Business Journal; Katalin Erdei, global HR director at Richter; Márton Galambos, CEO of Forbes Hungary; Zsuzsa Gárdus, managing director of Jobsgarden and board member of HBLF; and Zsófia Makádi, managing director of the HBLF Romaster Foundation.

The grand prize in the corporate category went to Boston Consulting Group Kft. for its Integrom program. The initiative provides long-term, complex and measurable support for the labor market integration of young Roma talents. It helps participants at a critical stage of life, the transition from education to employment, through training, mentoring and corporate connections.

The jury particularly valued the program’s direct link between young Roma people and the corporate labor market, as well as the fact that over more than a decade of operation it has contributed to several hundred placements at large companies.

The corporate category’s special innovation award was presented to AmRest Kft. for its Employable program. Implemented jointly with the Salva Vita Foundation, the initiative supports the labor market preparation and integration of neurodivergent people, including those living with ADHD or autism.

The jury recognized the pioneering nature, social relevance and genuine integration intent of the Employable program, especially because it offers specific job opportunities and a preparation process for a target group whose labor market entry requires dedicated support.

The grand prize in the individual category went to Andrea Joó, service manager at bp. Joó has worked for years to advance equal opportunity, inclusivity and cultural diversity. In mentoring and coaching roles, she supports Roma youth, people coming from military service, career starters, career changers, professionals with leadership ambitions, and employees affected by burnout or loss.

The jury recognized her exemplary personal and leadership commitment, diverse volunteer work and direct social impact.

From Challenges to Advantages

This year’s motto for the ImpactABLE Festival, organized with the support of the Bosch Group, was “We shape the workplace of tomorrow together!” The event emphasized that the transformation of the labor market is a shared responsibility, and that making it fairer can create positive change at the level of society as a whole.

The program highlighted that labor shortages, generational differences and social diversity do not necessarily have to be obstacles. If companies shape their operations consciously and responsibly, they can turn differences into an advantage.

The festival’s plenary program included discussions on ethical questions in leadership, the relationship between transparent pay culture and equal opportunity, and the corporate dilemmas around ethical AI use. Paralympian Luca Ekler also participated in a panel on the labor market participation of people with reduced work capacity.

The professional program was complemented by a keynote from Vilmos Benkő, founder of the Hungarian Toastmasters Club, economist, businessman, investor and coach.

The festival also aimed to create community experiences. In addition to company leaders and HR, CSR, ESG, DEI and communications professionals, civil organizations, affected individuals, young career starters, volunteers and corporate communities also played an active role.

The program included contributions from MáSzínház, a slam poetry performance, civil exhibitors, networking opportunities and small-group interactive sessions.

The afternoon sessions addressed practical topics such as the social impact of voluntary corporate groups, the role of mentoring in social mobility, neurodiversity and inclusive workplaces, the effective integration of colleagues with reduced work capacity, pay transparency, corporate strategies supporting working parents, and company tools related to domestic violence.

The Bosch Budapest Innovation Campus served as the venue for the event. HBLF said the site provided a fitting setting, as Bosch works in practice to shape the workplace of the future and an inclusive corporate culture. In Hungary, more than 50 nationalities work together within the Bosch Group in a modern, inspiring and sustainable work environment on technologies of the future.